Holy Names Academy
| Holy Names Academy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
728 21st Avenue East Seattle, WA 98112 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Parochial girls' secondary school |
| Established | November 9, 1880 |
| Principal | Elizabeth Swift |
| Faculty | 48 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 650 |
| Color(s) | Maroon and Gray |
| Athletics | Class AAA |
| Athletics conference | Seattle Metropolitan League |
| Mascot | Cougar |
| Affiliation | Catholic |
| Information | (206) 323-4272 |
| Website | http://www.holynames-sea.org/ |
Holy Names Academy is a Catholic girls' high school located on the east slope of Seattle's Capitol Hill at 21st Avenue East between E. Aloha and E. Roy Streets. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, the school has been named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education four separate times.
In 2007-2008, Holy Names enrolled 650 students.The student-teacher ratio is currently 14:1, and the average class size 22. Tuition was $852 a month in 2007-2008 totaling $10,224 for the school year.
History
Holy Names was founded by Mother Marie Rose on November 9, 1880, by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, making it the oldest continually operating school in Washington state. Its original location was at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Seneca Street in downtown Seattle. In 1884, the school moved to 7th Avenue and S. Jackson Street in the International District. Construction of the present building began in 1906 and was completed in 1908.
Holy Names originally incorporated a boarding school and grade school, and a normal school was added in 1908. The normal school closed in 1930, the grade school in 1963, and the boarding school in 1967.
Student Life
Holy Names emphasizes academics, community service, ethics and leadership. The curriculum includes four years of theology covering the topics of world cultures, scripture literature, ecclesiology/service and contemporary problems. In 2007 the school offered Advanced Placement (AP) courses in 14 subjects and 98% of the graduating class had taken one or more AP tests. HNA often pairs with O'Dea High School, a bothersome all-male catholic school for social events such as dances like Homecoming and Winter Ball, though the academy hosts its Junior and Senior proms separate from O'Dea. In addition, the school now hosts its own homecoming.
School Spirit
Holy Names demonstrates school spirit by wearing their school colors to athletic games, as well as their class colors. These class colors are worn especially on Class Spirit days. The freshman are always green, and the incoming sophomore class always inherits the previous seniors' color, which they then keep for the duration of their time at Holy Names. This year's colors are as follows:
Class of '12: Green
Class of '11: Yellow
Class of '10: Blue
Class of '09: Red
Each color corresponds to a name. The names are as follows:
Green: Voted on by the Freshmen at the beginning of the year. (This year's class is the "Lucky Charms")
Yellow: Cadets
Blue: Pipers
Red: Skippers
Athletics
In the fall, Holy Names offers crew, volleyball, soccer, cross country and golf. Basketball and swimming are the winter sports. In the spring, lacrosse, softball, crew, tennis and track are offered. Holy Names has won state titles in golf, soccer, swimming and track. Every season, one non-cut sport is offered (crew and cross country in the fall, swimming in the winter, track and crew in the spring).
Awards and recognition
During the 1984-85, 1990-91, 1995-96 and 2001-02 school years, Holy Names Academy was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education[1], the highest award an American school can receive.[2][3]
As of 2007, the school was one of only five schools nationwide to be honored as a Blue Ribbon School on four separate occasions.[4] In April 2008, CEO Magazine named Holy Names as one of the best 100 companies to work for in Washington state.
References
- ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
- ^ CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
- ^ Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
- ^ Berger, Susan. "School gets 4th Blue Ribbon: Carmel Catholic is only one in state honored this year", Chicago Tribune, October 10, 2007. Accessed November 1, 2007. "Carmel also received the Blue Ribbon Award in 1985, 1996 and 2002. Only four other high schools nationwide have won the award four times."
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